MIDLAND, MI — The Great Lakes Loons season ended quietly on the West Coast of Michigan, on a wet day in Fifth Third Park.

And despite a 3-1 win Monday in a must-win situation, the Loons found themselves out of the playoffs, thanks to another win in a must-win situation by the Fort Wayne TinCaps. The Loons finished the second half with a 32-37 record, a half-game behind Fort Wayne for the final Midwest League Eastern Division playoffs.

For the third time in the last four years, the Loons are on the outside looking in on the Midwest League playoffs.

"There are a lot of factors into wins and losses for a minor league team," Los Angeles Dodgers Director of Player Development DeJon Watson said. "Obviously, we would like to see them win and make the playoffs but it doesn't always happen that way.

"We have sent a lot of Major Leaguers to Midland, and some of the top prospects in all of baseball have played here. Fans here have been able to see a lot of Major League players in these eight years."

Although nothing is official, it appears the Dodgers will remain the parent team for the Loons. This is the final year of a four-year contract between the Dodgers and the Michigan Baseball Foundation.

While rumors of a shakeup of Los Angeles Dodgers minor-league affiliates have surfaced, Watson is confident of a new agreement between the Dodgers and Loons. There are possible changes rumored for the Dodgers' top affiliates, Triple A Albuquerque and Double A Chattanooga.

Dodgers, Loons to remain partners

But it appears the Dodgers and Loons will remain partners.

"It's been a good partnership," Watson said. "We support what they do as a non-profit. We enjoy things like Dodger Night where the players get to where Dodgers uniforms."

Great Lakes Loons President Paul Barbeau also expects few hurdles to a new agreement.

"I wouldn't call it negotiations because it's a standard contract," Barbeau said. "There are discussions, but I'm confident we will remain a Dodgers affiliate. We're happy with the partnership."

Parent clubs and affiliates can choose either a two-year contract or four-year contract. Barbeau expects to sign a two-year deal when the current four-year contract ends.

"We went to four years last time only because there were questions involved with the ownership of the Dodgers during the Frank McCourt divorce and sale of the team," Barbeau said. "We wanted the stability of a four-year contract."But they have a great ownership group in place now, so I would expect there to be a two-year contract in place."

Attendance drops

There are other challenges that draw Barbeau's focus. The Loons' 2013 attendance was 230,202, the lowest in the eight-year history of the franchise, slightly down from 2012 (231,639). In the Loons' first season, they drew 324,564.

"This is a natural progression," Barbeau said. "When we looked at chart of attendance at other franchises like West Michigan and Lansing, the line of attendance looks almost exactly the same.

"Our goal is to reach that leveling-off point where we get to just about every season, with a small variation depending on other factors like weather or the number of April and May home dates or weekend home dates.

"The good news is that we did better financially this season."

And even with the slight downturn in attendance and the failure to make the playoffs, Barbeau remains happy with the franchise and the Dodgers' affiliation.

"The Dodgers have sent some of their top prospects here," Barbeau said. "Just take a look at the Dodgers team right now. Some of their top players (Clayton Kershaw, Dee Gordon, Kenley Jansen) and some of their top prospects (Julio Urias, Corey Seager, Joc Pederson) played here.